Guide to Contribution
First of all, if you've looked at this article, you're more than likely considering contributing to Progressive Earth, so a massive 'thank you' is due - we have a lot of work to do here, and your creativity is just going to help us along, whatever it is you decide to contribute. Once again, 'Thank you!' Where to Begin You've already found it! Looking through this guide article is the first step to adding something to the Wiki project. You should also take some time to peruse the Wiki's Policy of History, which details proceedure you should follow to keep your articles in line with the context of the Wiki. Also worth considering are the Collaboration & Continuity Guide and the Presentation Guide, which generally help keep your article at a good standard. And of course all the Conworld policies on editing and creation should be adhered to. Further Reading The next thing you should do after taking in the conventions and guidelines is familiarise yourself with the Wiki. Read articles related to or on the subjects you wish to write about. If there's something that you can edit to lend some input to, take the opportunity to familiarise yourself with the editing process and learn about what exists and what doesn't. If you are going to write about something that existed in our Earth's history (which is somewhat inevitable) then make sure you know something about the topic - reading the relevant Wikipedia article is a good starting point, although it should be stressed that we do not want those articles replicated. If you're going to create something, think about what it might be related to, and make sure you understand all its aspects in Progressive Earth. For example, if you're writing about a cavalry battle, make sure you know if the civilisations involved have access to technology such as stirrups, as it will impact on the outcome. Contribute by Editing One of the best ways to contribute, especially for those lacking experience dealing with Progressive Earth, is editing existing articles. There are a few different types of editing you can take part in: *Spelling & Grammar :If you find any spelling or grammar errors in any article, feel free to correct them (so long as you are sure they are errors)- this brings the whole site up to a better standard. It's usually considered okay to correct spelling annonymously. *Expansion :If you find a topic that you think could be expanded upon within an article, then you might want to consider embellishing an article. Usually you should ask permission if your expansion is going to be creative- i.e. if it might be leading a topic down a certain path. Discussion pages are a good place for this. *Linking :Keeping the project up-to date requires constantly checking links and making sure pages aren't dead ends. If you come across two pages you think need to be connected, make that happen. So long as everyone agrees with the link, there's nothing to worry about, and you don't need to ask permission. Contribute by Creating Creating new articles can sometimes seem a bit of a nerve-wracking process, with all the emphasis we put on continuity and the Policy of History, but really it's no problem. All you have to do is make sure that you're writing at the level of the rest of the project, without scuffing up other people's turf. There are basically two kinds of articles for you to create. *The first is articles to expand on aspects of existing topics - like going into detail about a civilisation's government, or creating famous figures as part of an event. For this, you will need permission from the creator(s) of the original topic to expand on their work. *The second is completely original material. For this all you need to do is make sure you aren't intruding on someone else's turf and that you keep in line with the Policy of History. Create a new tribe, settlement, ideology, invention or whatever you think the world needs! Don't forget to review your articles after creating them, and address concerns people have raised on the discussion pages. Contribute by Discussing Even if you don't write as part of the project itself, you can help in other ways. Discussion pages are there for you to raise questions about anything you think needs addressing. Post the question where you find it appropriate, and if you don't get a response soon, put a Call for Attention in on the main page discussion board. Someone should soon get back to you! Category:Main